How do I Organize Office Files & Folders?

by Louise Balle, Demand Media

Organize you office files and folders in a few simple steps.

Colorful school folders image by Janet Wall from Fotolia.com

The way you organize your office can have a direct effect on how efficiently you run your office. In particular, office files and folders can become a disorganized mess if you don’t establish a uniform filing system. Once you get your file cabinet, folders and labels, you have a couple of options for organizing your files and folders in a practical manner so that you and your employees can access materials quickly.

Basic Alphabetical Organization

Step 1

Organize your office file folders in a basic alphabetical system if you have a large group of customers or contacts that you need to maintain. Use standard manila or colored folders to represent each contact.

Step 2

Write each contact's last name, a comma, then the first name on a label and place it on the lip of each folder containing his information.

Sort all of your folders by last name and first name if you have two files with the same last name. Insert the alphabetized folders into each draw of your file cabinet from top to bottom.

Step 4

Label the outside of each draw by the first letter of the last names contained in that drawer for easy reference. For instance, "A to F," "G to L," "M to R, "S to Z."

Category Organization

Step 1

Purchase a series of large hanging file folders in addition to standard manila or color file folders if you have a variety of different categories of files to organize. For instance, you would use this file organization system you might have a group of employee files, some customer files, invoices for individual suppliers, and signed contracts to organize.

Step 2

Write the name of each category you're organizing on each label included with your large hanging file folder. For instance, "Invoices" or "Contracts." If you need more space, you can set aside more than one hanging file folder for each category. Slide the label into the plastic tab and insert the tab into the top of each hanging file folder.

Step 3

Order each manila file folder for each category alphabetically by the last name or company name. When done, you'll have separate piles in alphabetical order.

Step 4

Place the large hanging file folders in your drawers first—order them by priority. For instance, if you need to pull invoices frequently, put those at the front of each drawer. You can also order the hanging file folder categories alphabetically as well.

Step 5

Insert each pile of manila folders into the correct hanging folder.

Tips

Organize your urgent files and folders on a wire organizer on your desktop.

Purchase a portable file organizer to carry files along with you to meetings and when traveling.

About the Author

Louise Balle has been writing Web articles since 2004, covering everything from business promotion to topics on beauty. Her work can be found on various websites. She has a small-business background and experience as a layout and graphics designer for Web and book projects.

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